House GOP Unveils DOJ Funding Blueprint After Promising ‘Guns’ Crackdown

House Republicans revealed on Tuesday an account to finance the Commerce and Justice departments, as well as scientific agencies, for fiscal year 2025, legislation that is expected to be at the center of one of this year’s most contentious spending battles.

Conservative Republicans in the lower house have focused on the Commerce, Justice and Science (CJS) appropriations bill as a way to go after the Justice Department following former President Trump’s conviction in his secret trial in Manhattan, and as their the other three processes continue.

“This bill prioritizes the fiscal sanity and freedoms of the American people,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said in a statement. “This stops the federal government’s use of weapons against its citizens and increases congressional oversight to ensure taxpayer dollars are used responsibly. Investments support our brave men and women in blue, fight crime and stop the deadly scourge of illicit drugs from reaching our communities. The legislation also safeguards U.S. innovation by confronting China’s efforts to target all aspects of American companies.”

The measure certainly has little chance of becoming law, with Democrats in the Senate and White House rejecting several funding cuts and policy measures included in the legislation. But Republican Party leaders want to put themselves in a better position for eventual negotiations with the Democratic-controlled upper house.

The CJS appropriations bill allocates $78.288 billion in discretionary spending, marking a cut of about two percent — $1.275 billion — from fiscal 2024 levels, according to Appropriations Committee Republicans. It also includes $71.932 billion in non-defense discretionary and $6.356 billion in defense discretionary.

The 160-page bill does not mention special counsel Jack Smith, who is leading investigations into Trump, nor does it seek to limit a special counsel’s powers more broadly. It also fails to mention Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg (D), who led the charge to silence the money in New York, or grant money disbursed to local and state offices.

But an Appropriations subcommittee is expected to review the bill on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. EDT, and lawmakers are expected to introduce a series of amendments. The House Rules Committee will determine which measures will be voted on on the floor.

The legislation imposes a sizable funding cut on the Department of Justice: It allocates $36.532 billion to the department, which is $987.823 million – or three percent – ​​below the 2024 tax bill, and $3.056 billion less than President Biden’s budget request.

The move also destroys FBI funding. The agency, which has become a target of conservative lawmakers in recent years, would receive $10.306 billion under the newly released CJS bill, which is $367.713 million – 3.5% – below fiscal 2024 levels. proposal is also $1.028 billion – 9% – lower than Biden’s budget.

Additionally, the bill would prevent the FBI from developing a new headquarters in the National Capitol region — which includes Washington, D.C., Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia — “by limiting the use of existing construction surpluses for support” of the agency. . current headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover Building, according to a account summary.

A government funding package approved by lawmakers and signed by Biden earlier this year included $200 million for construction of a new FBI headquarters, angering hard-line conservatives. Last year, the General Services Administration announced that the FBI’s new headquarters would be in Greenbelt, Maryland, after a bitter dispute over the location between Maryland and Virginia lawmakers.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro (Conn.), the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, criticized the GOP’s CJS funding bill, accusing them of undermining the justice system.

“Instead of joining Democrats in reducing crime and helping Americans feel safe, House Republicans are eliminating law enforcement positions and cutting resources for programs that prevent violence, mass shootings and attacks terrorists,” DeLauro said in a statement.

“By cutting federal law enforcement and the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division, they are making it harder to prosecute dangerous criminals, while making it easier for large corporations and billionaires to take advantage of Americans,” she added. “This bill would harm the economy by destroying programs that help create jobs, especially in rural communities.”

The funding cuts and crackdown on the Justice Department come after House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) wrote a letter to Cole calling for several “reforms” to be included in the government’s funding process this year. year, including banning funding for the FBI “that is not essential to the agency carrying out its mission,” eliminating federal funding for “state prosecutors or state attorneys general involved in legal conflicts” and getting rid of federal funding for federal prosecutors who participate “in such abuses.”

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story